Abandoned Race Meetings

The weather is never far from our thoughts in the UK, whether it is too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. The changeable nature of our weather also causes problems to our horse racing calendar, where conditions can be too dangerous to race on.

Racing mainly faces abandonments during the winter months, when sustained or heavy rainfall can lead to turf racetracks becoming waterlogged or even flooded. The winter also brings cold snaps where the low temperatures can bring frozen tracks which cannot be raced upon. Snowfall can also lead to the cancellation of racing, even on all-weather surfaces.

Low sun (believe it or not) can make racing treacherous in the autumn and winter, although this usually leads to missing fences or at worst the loss of a race or two.

High winds can halt racing at any point in the year, famously putting a stop to two days of racing at the 2008 Cheltenham Festival. The Summer can also bring problems for racecourse, water supply issues during dry spells have been known to stop racing and there’s also occasional flash floods during downpours.

Whatever the reason for a meeting’s cancellation in the UK or Ireland, we’ll detail them below.

Current Month: April 2024

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